David Dougherty author from Kesh, pictured with a copy of his first book
READERS who have camped out or watched films about campers in the wild, may have come away from campsite or screen with a scary experience, usually an unexpected visitor in the night.
Kesh author, David J. Dougherty (35) did the real McCoy, years ago, with his wife, Diane and her brother and his girlfriend, and it was from that experience (though nothing scary happened) that he got the id ea for his first novel, ‘A Killer Of A Camp’.
The book is definitely not from the ‘Carry On’ stable, nor is it remotely akin to David’s other skill, that of a joke cartoon creator.
The blurb on the back gives a ‘Psycho-like’ taste of what lies between its 256 pages: ‘Having finished their final exams, four students head on a camping spree, but they’re unaware one’s been given a fake identification’.
The father of two recommends that the reader treats the narrative as they would a film and allow the action to unfold before their eyes.
So, how did he come to write a book?
Well, it seems, his creativity with the pen/keyboard was spotted whilst he was at primary school in England and, by the time he settled in Fermanagh, where he studied business administration at Fermanagh College, all he needed was speed on the keyboard.
Indeed, so adept was he that tutored over-55s in the US in typing as a Youth Training delegate.
Thus equipped, he spent a year and half on the book at a time when Diane was recovering from a hip replacement op, writing mostly at night.
“I was still running the (Non Stop) shop, but with the kids (Chloe and Alicia) tucked up in bed, I had head peace”, he joked.
Research for the book meant trips to Kesh, Irvinestown and Enniskillen libraries, after which it was a case of shopping around for a printer for his self-published novel.
“The cheapest I managed to get was The Print Project in Dundonald and, thanks to them, I am able to sell copies for £9.99.”
People can get a copy on the internet, www.akillerofacamp.com
Meanwhile, David has another book due out, this time a cartoon joke book.